Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to steam irons, and more particularly, to the steam generating and ironing surface heating means of a steam iron of the compact, portable, snap-together type.
Portable irons are in use, where the separate handle locks on to the base during use, and where the handle wraps around the base to provide a flat, compact assembly for storage.
To provide a more compact iron body, a thin heating element, such as a semiconductor having a positive resistance temperature coefficient or a positive temperature coefficient thermistor, has been used. While these heating elements in theory can generate heat in the ironing temperature range, such as between 200.degree. C. and 240.degree. C., they have not worked satisfactorily in practice. These heating elements have only been able to provide heat to the bottom plate or ironing surface in the temperature range of between 140.degree. C. and 170.degree. C. This poor performance has been due to the dissipation of the heat to other adjacent surfaces and to poor heating element contact with the bottom plate resulting in uneven and insufficient heating of this ironing surface.
The above-mentioned problem was not solved by merely increasing the heat generating capacity of the heating element. Increasing this heat generating capacity has sometimes caused the iron to become overly hot, with the danger of possibly burning other parts of the iron.